Packaging coils

ABSTRACT

A coil of strip steel is packaged for export by wrapping protective material around the outer circumference of the coil with an overhanging projection around the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil. A tube slightly longer than the coil is inserted through the eye of the coil and then the ends of the coil are sprayed with polyurethane rigid setting foam. The overhanging projections around the outer circumferential edge are provided by unwinding the outer turn of the coil and then winding it on again with narrow strips of material interposed between the outer turn and the rest of the coil.

United States Patent Reed 1 51 June 20, 1972 54] PACKAGING COILS 3,394,797 7/1968 Flannigan ..206/46 FC 2,914,167 11/1959 ..206/59 C [72] Inventor. Geoffrey Ronald Reed, l .ondon, England 1,377,154 5/1921 M20659 F x [73] Assigneet The British Iron n Steel Rwl' h A 1,l54,022 9/1915 Jarvis ..206/59 F sociation, London, England FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: April 16, 1970 l 2 I 1 pp No: 29,177 444,305 3/1936 Great Britain ..206/59 F Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer [30] Forelgn Application Priority Data Attorney-Bacon & Thomas May 1, 1969 England ..2,275/69 ABSTRACT U.S. F, 3 A coil of strip stag] is packaged for export wrapping p otec. f Cl 85/66 tive material around the outer circumference of the coil with [58] Field of Search ..53/l3; 206/59 F an overhanging projection around the outer i f ti l edge at each end of the coil. A tube slightly longer than the [56] References C'ted coil is inserted through the eye of the coil and then the ends of UNITED STATES PATENTS the coil are sprayed with polyurethane rigid setting foam. The overhanging pro ections around the outer circumferential 2,753,992 7/1956 Manchester ..206/59 F edge are provided by unwinding the outer [um of the coil and 331,490 l903 9 206/59 F then winding it on again with narrow strips of material inter- 1 1/1935 H1115 at a] 206/ 59 F posed between the outer turn and the rest of the coil. 1,543,052 6/1925 Brown ...206/59 F 2,708,031 5/1955 Martineau 206/59 F 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEuJuuzo 1972 3.670.877 sum 1 or 3 INVEN TOR GEOFF/PE) Fan/1L0 FEED 14 T TORNE Y5 PATENTEnJunzo m2 3. 670, 877

sum 2 or 3 A F/G.2.

Q Q 12 v A F/G.4.

l N VE N TOR GEOFFREY Ron/Aw R550 T TOKNE Y5 PATENTEnJunzo m2 3, 670 877 sum 3 or a 21%20 25, FIG. 6. ,12 20%21 a v x INVEN TOR @EOFFREY Ram/1L0 REED HTTOANEYS PACKAGING COILS Coils of strip material such as steel strip have to be packaged to protect them during transit. It is usual to package coils of steel strip by hand, usually by wrapping turns of substandard strip around the coil, holding them in position with straps and bending portions of the wrapping strip around the ends of the coil. This is very time consuming and does not provide a very protective package. Proposals have also been made, for example in US. Pat. No. 3,198,418, to provide a preformed container into which a coil of steel is placed.

An object of this invention is to provide a quick, cheap and yet very effective packaging method.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of packaging a coil of strip material including wrapping protective material around the circumference of the coil with an overhanging projection of protective material around the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil, providing protection for the eye of the coil, and applying a protective coating to the ends of the coil.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a packaged coil of strip material having protective material wrapped around the circumference of the coil with an overhanging projection of protective material around the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil, protective material provided in the eye of the coil, and a coating of protective material applied to the ends of the coil.

The protective coating which is preferably applied in liquid form by spraying can be a material such as polyurethane rigid setting foam. In order to ensure that the protective material can be removed easily from the coil a releasing agent is preferably applied to the ends of the coil before the protective coating is applied.

The overhanging projection around the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil serves three functions. It contains the protective coating when it is being applied. It prevents the protective coating from being stripped with a shearing action off the end of a coil if the coil rolls towards another coil with its end in line with the end of the other coil, as may happen for example in the hold of a ship. It also prevents damage to the outer circumferential edge of the coil.

One of the problems associated with protecting a coil of sheet material is that the ends of the coil are unlikely to be completely flat since the various turns of the coil are likely to be slightly offset with respect to one another. By applying a protective coating to the ends of the coil in accordance with the invention a very effective seal is made of the ends of the coil which considerably reduces the likelihood of corrosion of the ends of the coil.

Preferably protection for the eye of the coil is provided by a tube of protective material inserted through the eye of the coil before applying the coating. Preferably the tube provides an overhanging projection around the inner circumferential edge at each end of the coil. This latter overhanging projection serves to help contain the protective coating when it is being applied and also protects the inner circumferential edge if bands are passed through the eye and around the coil to form a complete loop.

The overhanging projection around the outer circumferential edge can be provided by a sheet of material slightly wider than the coil and wrapped around the coil. However the protective material around the circumference of the coil can conveniently consist of the outer turn of the coil which can first be unwound and then wound back on the coil with protective material interposed between the outer turn and the rest of the coil to form the overhanging projections around the outer circumferential edges. In this way the outer turn of the coil is used as packaging material for its own coil thereby eliminating the need for separate packing sheets cut to the required size. The protective material that forms the overhanging projections can consist of narrow strips preferably of steel, interposed at each end of the coil between the outer turn and the rest of the coil.

The outer turn after being unwound can be wholly or partially cut off from the rest of the coil before being wound back on again. If it is wholly cut off it can be rejoined to the coil, for example with adhesive tape.

Although the method of the invention can be used for packaging coils of many strip materials, it has been developed primarily for packaging steel strip, particularly when coils have to travel a long distance by sea when being exported. For the home market less protection is required and the protective material around the circumference of the coil can simply be paper, whereas for the export market it is preferably steel sheet, which, as described above, can be the outer turn of the coil.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one apparatus for carrying out one method according to the invention,

FIGS. 2 to 5 shows diagrammatically several stages in the method,

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section through a packaged coil, and

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged detail of FIG. 6.

Coils 2 of sheet steel to be packaged for export are positioned on a platform 4 where they await transfer to a conveyor 6 by means of a conventional overhead lifting device 8. The conveyor 6 includes rollers 8 which can be rotated to transfer the coil linearly in the direction of its longitudinal axis, and rollers 10 which can be rotated to rotate each coil 2 about its longitudinal axis.

On arriving at the conveyor 6, the outer turn 12 of the coil 2 is unwound in the direction of a paper dispenser 14 by rotating the coil 2 by means of the rollers 10 of the conveyor 6 (see FIG. 2). The outer tum l2 now rests on a table 16 which extends away from the conveyor 6. The paper dispenser 14 is disposed above the table 16 and can dispense a strip of paper equal in width to the coil 2. Also above the table 16, but further away from the conveyor 6 than the paper dispenser 14, there is a dispenser 18 for dispensing narrow strips of steel sheet 20. The dispenser 18 includes two drums 22 which are disposed so that the strips 20 wound on the drums 22 when seen from above overlap the edges of the unwound outer turn 12 lying on the table 16. A cutter 24 is disposed above the unwound tum 12 adjacent to the end of the table 16 nearest'the conveyor 6. This cutter 24 is moved downwardly partially to sever the unwound turn 12 from the rest of the coil 2. The cutter 24 stamps out two slots extending inwardly from both edges of the turn 12, but leaves a small central portion connecting the turn 12 with the rest of the coil 2, so that after being severed the outer turn 12 can be rewound on to the coil 2 simply by rotating the coil.

With the outer turn 12 unwound and partially severed from the coil 2 narrow strips of steel 20 are dispensed from the dispenser 18 and the end of the strips 20 are secured, for example with adhesive tape or by spot welding, to the outer turn 12 adjacent to the slots cut by the cutter 24 as can be seen in FIG. 2. Paper 26 from the paper dispenser 14 is then advanced and the end of the paper 26 is secured, for example with adhesive tape, to the outer turn 12 adjacent to the slots cut by cutter 24 as can be seen in FIG. 3. The coil 2 is then rotated in the sense opposite to the previous sense of rotation as shown in FIG. 4 so that the outer turn 12 is wound back on the coil 2 with the steel strips 20 and paper 26 interposed between the coil 2 and outer turn 12. The outer turn 12 thus acts as protective material wrapped around the circumference of the coil. The strips 20 form overhanging projections 21 around the outer circumferential edge 23 at each end of the coil.

When the end of the outer turn 12 comes adjacent to the cutter 24 the cutter 24 is moved downwardly as seen in FIG. 5 to sever the strips 20 and the greater part of the width of the paper 26. The small central portion of paper which is uncut is then torn so that the paper on the coil is completely severed from the paper on the dispenser 26.

At this stage, the inside of the coil 2 is protected by inserting through the eye 28 of the coil a tube 30 of paper slightly longer than the coil 2 so as to provide overhanging projections around the inner circumferential edge 32 at each end of the coil 2. The tube 30 is formed of two rectangular sheets of paper 34 and 36 each of which is rolled into the form of a cylinder and inserted into the eye 28 and simply allowed to expand under its own resilience. One sheet of paper 34 overhangs one end of the coil 2 and the other sheet of paper 36 overhangs the other end of the coil as can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. After the paper tube 30 has been inserted a steel tube 38 slightly longer than the coil 2 is inserted through the eye 28 to provide an overhanging projection 40 around the inner circumferential edge 32 at each end of the coil 2. The steel tube 38, in the same way as the paper tube 30, is formed of two rectangular sheets 42 and 44 as can be seen in FIG. 6 which when inserted into the eye 28 are allowed to expand under their own resilience.

The coil 2 is then transferred by the conveyor 6 to an automatic circumferential banding machine 46 where metal bands 48 are applied, in a known manner, adjacent to each end of the coil 2, to secure the outer turn 12 against unwinding. During transfer of the coil 2 to machine 46 the loose end of the outer turn 12 should preferably be maintained at the bottom of the coil to prevent it unwinding before the coil reaches the machine 46.

After the bands 48 have been applied, the coil 2 is picked up by an overhead conveyor 50 and passed through a ventilated spraying tunnel 52 where the ends of the coil 2 are first coated witha releasing agent 54, and then sprayed with a protective coating 56 of polyurethane rigid setting foam. The spraying can be done by 'an operator with a hand held spray gun although it could be done automatically. During the spraying process the overhanging projections 21 and 40 contain the coating 56 and prevent it from spreading over the outside of the coil and into the eye 28.

As is shown in FIG. 7 the end surfaces of the coil 2 are not completely flat because during winding of the coil 2 the various turns of the coil tend to be wound slightly offset with respect to one another. If the polyurethane rigid setting foam 56 is applied directly to the ends of the coil it may adhere too firmly to the uneven end of the coil so as to make it difficult subsequently to remove it. For this reason the releasing agent 54 is applied first. The releasing agent could be non-silicone wax or a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate co-polymer plus suitable plasticizers and stabilizers. The releasing agent 54 'can be sprayed on or can simply be wiped on, for example with a rag.

After spraying both ends, the coil 2 is passed to an automatic banding machine 58 where one or more bands 60 are applied in a known manner to extend through the eye 28 of the coil and then radially, axially, radially of the coil to form a complete loop. The overhanging projections 40 and 21 will collapse locally where the eye band 60 passes over them to provide edge protection for the coil.

The method of packaging of coils for the home market in accordance with the invention is similar to the method above described but differs in the following ways.

The outer turn of the coil is not fully unwound but only sufficiently to provide a lead-in for the paper from the paper dispenser. The same amount of paper is used as for the export coils, but for the home market,'the paper when wound on to the coil forms the outermost layer of the packaged coil. Narrow steel strips are still applied to provide an overhanging projection around the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil and, as before, are laid outside the paper. The eye of the coil is protected in the same way as the coil for export and the spraying of the ends, and the banding, is the same.

The methods described above are very simple, cheap and quick and yet provide a high degree of protection for coils of sheet steel.

1 claim:

1. A method of packaging a coil of strip metal including wrapping metal protective material around the circumference of the coil with an overhanging projection of metal protective material around the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil, securing the outer turn of the coil against unwinding, inserting protective sheet material in the eye of the coil, applying a releasing agent to the ends of the coil, applying a protective coating onto the releasing agent on the ends of the coil, and passing bands through the eye of the coil to form complete loops whereby said overhanging projections are collapsed locally where said bands pass over the overhanging projections.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 including the step of inserting a tube of protective material through the eye of the coil so as to provide an overhanging projection around the inner circumferential edge at each end of the coil before applying the coating.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer turn of the coil is unwound to be subsequently wound back on the coil as protective material, and in which protective material is interposed between the outer turn and the rest of the coil to form the overhanging projections around the outer circumferential edges.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the protective coating is applied by spraying.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the protective coating includes polyurethane rigid setting foam.

6. A packaged coil of strip metal having protective metal material wrapped around the circumference of the coil with an overhanging projection of metal protective materialtaround the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil, protective sheet material provided in the eye of the coil, a releasing agent applied to the ends of the coil, and a coating of protective material applied onto the releasing agent on the ends of the coil, and bands passing through the eye of the coil to form complete loops whereby said overhanging projections are collapsed locally where said bands pass over the overhanging projections.

7. A coil as claimed in claim 6 including a tube of protective material inserted in the eye of the coil so as to provide an overhanging projection around the inner circumferenlial edge at each end of the coil.

8. A coil as claimed in claim 6 in which the overhanging projections around the outer circumferential edges are formed by a strip interposed at each end of the coil between the outer turn and the rest of the coil.

9. A coil as claimed in claim 6 in which the protective coating includes polyurethane rigid setting foam. 

1. A method of packaging a coil of strip metal including wrapping metal protective material around the circumference of the coil with an overhanging projection of metal protective material around the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil, securing the outer turn of the coil against unwinding, inserting protective sheet material in the eye of the coil, applying a releasing agent to the ends of the coil, applying a protective coating onto the releasing agent on the ends of the coil, and passing bands through the eye of the coil to form complete loops whereby said overhanging projections are collapsed locally where said bands pass over the overhanging projections.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 including the step of inserting a tube of protective material through the eye of the coil so as to provide an overhanging projection around the inner circumferential edge at each end of the coil before applying the coating.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer turn of the coil is unwound to be subsequently wound back on the coil as protective material, and in which protective material is interposed between the outer turn and the rest of the coil to form the overhanging projections around the outer circumferential edges.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the protective coating is applied by spraying.
 5. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the protective coating includes polyurethane rigid setting foam.
 6. A packaged coil of strip metal having protective metal material wrapped around the circumference of the coil with an overhanging projection of metal protective material around the outer circumferential edge at each end of the coil, protective sheet material provided in the eye of the coil, a releasing agent applied to the ends of the coil, and a coating of protective material applied onto the releasing agent on the ends of the coil, and bands passing through the eye of the coil to form complete loops whereby said overhanging projections are collapsed locally where said bands pass over the overhanging projections.
 7. A coil as claimed in claim 6 including a tube of protective material inserted in the eye of the coil so as to provide an overhanging projection around the inner circumferential edge at each end of the coil.
 8. A coil as claimed in claim 6 in which the overhanging projections around the outer circumferential edges Are formed by a strip interposed at each end of the coil between the outer turn and the rest of the coil.
 9. A coil as claimed in claim 6 in which the protective coating includes polyurethane rigid setting foam. 